Wednesday
Yom Reva’ee
28 Shevat 5785
February 26 2025
UPDATE 9:00 AM ISRAEL TIME
The Bibas Are Laid To Rest
All of Israel has sadly painted been painted an orangish-red for the last few days–remembering Shiri, Kfar, and Ariel Bibas:
The iconic sculpture in here in central Ashdod last night–like so many other sculptures, city halls, and public spaces:
The front page of the Jerusalem Post this morning:
Hundreds of thousands are currently lining the funeral procession route: Chevrat Kadisha in Rishon LeZion-Yavne-Ashdod-Ashkelon-Yad Mordechai- Tzofar.
Cars are stopped on freeways as the vans carrying the bodies pass. School children are participating in processions. Just such a procession passed in front of my house a few minutes ago.
The scene at Tzohar will be heartbreaking for the country.
Such a tragic morning.
(Please note that the burial date was changed two days ago to today).
The View From Ashdod
“Our kidnapping and death shake me. We fought all these years for peace and social justice – unfortunately we suffered a severe blow from the people we helped on the other side.”
85-year-old Yocheved Lipshitz at the funeral of her husband Oded who was buried yesterday.
It is fascinating how it took her own captivity and the murder of her husband for Yocheved to see that you cannot make peace with people who want to kill you.
Yocheved and Oded carried ill Palestinians from Gaza back and forth to Israeli hospitals for years–to the extent that those who entered her Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7 knew their names.
Having been helped and knowing the names of those in the kibbutz did not stop the Palestinian savages from butchering the residents of the kibbutz and hauling away Yocheved, Oded, and other members of the kibbutz into the dungeons of Gaza.
Social injustice is not what produced terrorists in Gaza.
Palestinian terrorists are born not made. They are born into culture that values death above all. After birth they are fed a monstrous ideology which among other things teaches them to take what they can from “infidels” and then kill those “infidels” when the opportunity presents itself.
On the Ground in Gaza
A Dramatic Proposal?
American envoy Steve Witkoff arrives for a series of meetings in the region to close ranks.
From a report:
“Not all the details are known, but according to what is already known, these are political moves that will lead to the replacement of the Shiite crescent axis around Israel with a moderate Sunni axis that includes Syria and Lebanon.
Within this framework, Syria and Lebanon will join the political arrangements in exchange for billions that Saudi Arabia will pour into them for the purpose of rehabilitation and rebuilding the countries. Russia will maintain a military presence in Syria and will disengage from the Shiite axis, and the US will establish a large military base in Jordan and assist Egypt in building a nuclear reactor for electricity purposes.
Gaza will be handed over to the management of American-Saudi companies, who will develop it so that it serves as a quick outlet to the Mediterranean Sea and will be used to export oil from the Gulf countries and import goods from the West.”
Is this delusional? Only time will tell if Lebanon and Syria will indeed join the Abraham Accords.
On the Ground in the North
*The IAF continues striking Hezbollah targets in Lebanon. Yesterday an Israeli drone attacked a target in the town of Janta in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon’s eastern mountain range.
*Yesterday, we posted this:
“At 8:40 am, hostile aircraft sirens sounded over the southern Golan at Yonatan, Haspin, Ramat Magshimim, and Avnei Eitan. Interceptors were launched by the IAF. No further information at this time.”
Almost immediately, the IDF produced this series of announcements:
First. Initial report – Sirens regarding a hostile aircraft infiltration were sounded in Yonatan in the Golan Heights. The details are under review.
[“a hostile aircraft infiltration”= 1 hostile aircraft]
Second. A short while ago, interceptors were launched toward a suspicious aerial target in the area of the Golan Heights. The details are under review.
[“a suspicious aeriel target”= 1 hostile aircraft]
Third. Following the sirens that sounded at 8:39 regarding a hostile aircraft infiltration in Yonatan, Haspin, and Ramat Magshimim in the Golan Heights, interceptors were launched toward two suspicious aerial targets that were subsequently determined to be false identifications. The incident has concluded and it is under review.
[“two suspicious aerial targets”= 2 hostile aircraft/ subsequently determined to be false identifications”]
Fourth. Sirens sounded regarding rockets and missile launches in Avnei Eitan due to the possibility of falling shrapnel from the interceptions, no injuries were reported.
[“the possibility of falling shrapnel from the interceptions” . . . the interceptions of what?]
From one hostile aircraft to two hostile aircraft to no hostile aircraft to interceptions of what?
Perhaps you can better understand now why all Israelis take IDF pronouncements concerning the Lebanese, Syrian, Jordanian, Egyptian and Gazan borders with a major grain of salt.
On the Ground in Judea and Samaria
*Shin Bet revealed yesterday that information it received from a captured terrorist last month led IDF fighters to the discovery of a 100 kg bomb in Qabatia, near Jenin.
*According to Defense Minister Katz:
“40,000 Palestinians have so far evacuated from camps in Jenin, Tulkarm and Nur a-Shams, and they are now empty of residents. UNRWA activities in the camps have also been suspended. I have instructed the IDF to prepare for an extended stay in the camps that have been cleared for the coming year, and not to allow residents to return and terrorism to grow again.“
*The IDF Spokesman:
“Over the past few days, soldiers of the Nahal Brigade joined the counterterrorism operation in northern Samaria and operated in the towns of Qabatiya, Silat al-Harithiya, and Al-Yamun with ISA direction.
During the counterterrorism operation, the soldiers searched dozens of terrorist infrastructure sites, apprehended 15 terrorists, located weapons, and dismantled explosives, including a high-powered improvised explosive device.”
And so it goes on a mournful morning here in Israel . . . so far . . .
A student from Malawi, who had worked with an Israeli health volunteer in his country battling AIDS, came up to us as we walked down the street in the UC-Davis Picnic Day Parade and wanted to carry the Israeli flag.